National Biodiversity Authority Disburses Rs.15.52 Crore to 29 States and UTs Under Access and Benefit Sharing Mechanism

New Delhi, Aug 13 (KNN) The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs 15.52 crore in Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) proceeds linked to ten commercial mustard hybrid varieties developed using Indian biological resources.

The amount, received from Pioneer Overseas Corporation, will be distributed among 26 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and three Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs) based on the area under mustard cultivation in each State and Union Territory.

The company developed the ten Brassica juncea hybrid varieties in-house, while the parental lines were sourced from the open market and traders. As no specific farmer or community could be identified as the source, the NBA constituted an Expert Committee to determine the modalities for distributing the ABS proceeds.

Based on the approved mechanism, where biological resources are accessed through intermediaries, the ABS amount is distributed among the SBBs and UTBCs in areas where the resource is cultivated. 

The cultivation data was obtained from the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR-IIRMR), Bharatpur.

Rajasthan will receive the largest share at Rs 6.43 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh at Rs 2.28 crore, Madhya Pradesh at Rs 1.86 crore and Haryana at Rs 1.21 crore. Other major beneficiaries include West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Gujarat, Bihar and Punjab.

The SBBs and UTBCs are required to use the funds for activities covered under Section 32 of the Biological Diversity Act, including biodiversity conservation, preparation and updating of People's Biodiversity Registers, ecosystem restoration, strengthening Biodiversity Heritage Sites, capacity building of Biodiversity Management Committees and improving community livelihoods.

The NBA said the release is part of its implementation of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the principle of fair and equitable benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

With this release, the NBA's cumulative ABS disbursement has reached Rs 182.5 crore, including Rs 116.22 crore released during the past 12 months.

(KNN Bureau)